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*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #7

GEOF-parsley
Parsley. image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Radicchio – 1 head
Cucumber – 1 pieces
Zucchini – 3 pieces
Scallions – 1 small head
Parsley – 1 bunch
Walla Walla Onions – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Blackberries – 1/2 pint
Blueberries – 1 pint
(Please be sure to store your berries in the fridge!)

Herb share
Chives
Sage

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

A few friendly reminders & updates:

CSA BBQ on July 13th
Thank you for joining us for our annual cookout—what fun! Are you looking forward to the next CSA get-together? More CSA events coming soon! Contact us with pictures from the BBQ or suggestions/feedback for next time.

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I think it’s a good time to talk about veg storage—especially in this heat! As a general rule, veg should be kept cool or cold. It should not be left out on the counter or it will deteriorate very quickly. Remove the tops of the Carrots before storing them in the fridge in a plastic bag. Scallions should also be kept in a bag in the fridge. Cucumbers and Zucchini should be refrigerated as well, but they don’t need to be bagged. The Parsley is best stored in a bag in the fridge, or in a cup of water (standing up like a bouquet) in the fridge. You can revive limp greens of any kind by submerging the whole bunch in a large bowl of ice cold water for several minutes. The Walla Walla Onions are fresh (not cured) so they should be eaten soon and stored in the fridge. The onion greens should be removed. And finally, the berries in the fruit share are extremely perishable. They must be kept in the fridge and eaten with a day.

Our share this week is on the light side as we hit our annual July dip before the bulk of the summer harvest comes in. Perhaps this is perfectly convenient timing since who wants to cook in this heat? Farmer Matt wanted me to give you some more information about this dip in the quantity of produce in the shares…

We are just starting to harvest our cucumber crop, so the one piece this week is just a teaser of things to come. That said, about 30 percent of our cucumber and zucchini plantings were lost due to flooding in the heavy rains last month. As we mentioned in last week’s letter, our planting and cultivating schedules were set back from June 7th through 20th (typically a very busy planting time) because of the wet field conditions, so some of the crops that would usually be harvested this week are delayed. Good news is that we have a lot of beautiful crops coming your way shortly! These include more cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, several types of early potatoes, basil, garlic, red onions, red and cherry tomatoes and baby watermelons!

-Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Pickled Cucumber
Spaghetti with Parsley Pesto
Caramelized Onion, Feta and Sage Pizza

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #6

GEOF_zucchini
Zucchini Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Radicchio – 1 head
Kohlrabi – 3 pieces
Zucchini – 3-4 pieces
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Swiss Chard  – 1 bunch
Cipolini Onions – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Weekly dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF goodies today!

A few friendly reminders & updates:

CSA BBQ on July 13th
Ready, set, grill! Join us for the CSA’s Annual Cookout on Saturday, July 13th!
When: Saturday, July 13th, 4:30 – 7:30pm
Where: Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Ave
RSVP here via web form
Bring friends and family and your own protein/veggie to grill and a dish to share—we will provide non-alcoholic refreshments, chips and all the BBQ gear. Please, ONLY NON-GLASS containers.
Volunteers are needed to help run the BBQ! Sign up for a shift at VolunteerSpot.
Questions? Contact us!

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I was so happy to smell the Cipolini Onions in the barn yesterday! They’re a beautiful early variety, aka “Little Onion” in Italian, best eaten caramelized in a dish or simply roasted in the oven. (See recipe below.) Over the weekend, we grilled up the Kohlrabi and Zucchini with a delicious parsley sauce courtesy of Yotum Ottolenghi. (Recipe below.) I was surprised by just how good the kohlrabi was on the grill! And I just can’t get enough of the grilled (or seared) Radicchio—can you? I’ve hoarded about 6 heads of it in my fridge so I can enjoy it every night for dinner. A little overkill? Perhaps, but I only get to enjoy it a few weeks every year! The Romaine Lettuce is so crisp and sweet. I think a nice cool Caesar salad is on the dinner menu one night this week.

Another week of hot dry weather means a lot of irrigation here on the farm. It also means that our summer crops are growing like crazy, which is good news for you melon, tomato, and eggplant lovers… Did I mention zucchini lovers? I know there are many of you out there who are thrilled to see them make their first appearance in this week’s share. Zucchini plants don’t know when enough is enough, and they produce heavily for weeks on end. We have to pick the same field every day to keep up with them—they grow that fast!

-Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES 
+ VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS 

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Seared Radicchio with Mozzarella
Roasted Cipolini Onions
Mixed Grill with Zucchini and Kohlrabi

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #4

GEOF-Cilantro
Image via Golden Earthworm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Fennel – 1 bunch
Parsley – 1 bunch
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Green Boston Lettuce – 1 head
Swiss Chard -OR Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
Baby Carrots – 1 bunch
Garlic Scapes – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your LWF orders

A few friendly reminders & updates:

We *heart* Volunteers!
To keep the CSA running—and the fresh produce flowing—we need everyone’s help! VolunteerSpot hosts our new volunteer calendar. Once there, navigate through the CSA season and sign yourself up directly for your shifts. Please keep in mind that each share is required to complete 2 shifts over the course of the season. Read more…

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Can I just start out by saying that the baby carrots in this week’s share are to die for? We have been enjoying them for dinner for the past 4 days. I snip off the tops (leaving about 1/2 inch of the greens) and give them a good scrub. With skins on, toss them with some good quality olive oil, salt & pepper and spread out evenly on a baking sheet. They roast quickly (about 12-15 minutes) in a 425F oven. Let them brown in spots and shake the pan half-way through to flip them over. Even Baby Farmer, who officially turns 6 months next week, has been chowing down on them! I’m also loving the fennel this week. If you have any escarole left over from last week’s share, you can make the escarole, fennel and white bean salad recipe that was in last week’s newsletter. If not, you may want to try it sliced thinly in a salad with avocado and red onion. And if the fennel flavor is jut not your thing…try braising it! Cooking the fennel mellows out its flavor. See my braising recipe below. More beautiful lettuce and some cooking greens round out the share for most folks. The other items in the box are make-ups from past weeks, so check our past newsletters for cooking tips and recipes.

Stay cool this week! -Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS + READ MAGGIE’S FARM BLOG

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Simple Braised Fennel
Fennel & Avocado Salad

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #3

GEOF-beets
Image via Golden Earthworm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Cilantro – 1 bunch
Escarole – 1 head
Purple Kohlrabi – 1 bunch
Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Scallions – 1 bunch
Baby Arugula – 1 bag
Red Beets – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

A few friendly reminders & updates:

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Deadlines to order your next delivery of Lewis Waite products start Friday, June 21st for delivery on Thursday, June 27th. Note the NEW ORDER DEADLINES. Please be sensitive to the busy farmers and order on time. Late orders may not be filled! Place your order now!

We *heart* Volunteers!
To keep the CSA running—and the fresh produce flowing—we need everyone’s help! VolunteerSpot hosts our new volunteer calendar. Once there, navigate through the CSA season and sign yourself up directly for your shifts. Please keep in mind that each share is required to complete 2 shifts over the course of the season. Read more…

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I’m loving the share this week! Escarole is one of my absolute favorites and it only comes around a few times each season. Be careful—it looks a lot like Romaine Lettuce, but it has frilly outer leaves and a white center. It’s a bitter green, so you have to know how to prepare it well. If you’re going to try it in a salad, I would stick to the inner leaves with the white stem. This part is more tender and less bitter. Save the outer leaves to cook. (Or you could cook the whole head.)

The Red Beets are small and incredibly sweet. The tops are not only edible, they’re delicious too! You can cook them like spinach—they’ll wilt down quickly in a pan with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I usually plop the beetroot in a pot of boiling water with the skins on and cook til knife tender. (Roasting them in the oven intensifies their flavor, but I opt to keep the oven off during the summer.) Once cooked and cooled, the skins will slip off easily.

Purple Kohlrabi is probably new to many of you. We like to call it the “Sputnik” veg because of its unusual shape. Peel the skin carefully and then you can slice raw in a salad or braise gently. I like its cabbage flavor raw in salads this time of year.  Scallions are great sliced and sprinkled on any salad and the baby Arugula practically melts in your mouth. Be sure not to dress with an overpowering dressing. A light coating of good quality olive oil, a splash of vinegar and some salt and pepper with bring out its peppery flavor nicely.

Finally, Cilantro! My love affair with this herb is well-known, and I can’t keep myself from adding it to every salad and bean dish (as well as chicken soup!). However, the recipe below for Halloumi with cilantro, lime and caper vinaigrette is the first recipe I make when the cilantro comes in from the fields. Halloumi is a greek cheese that doesn’t melt when cooked! You can find it at Whole Foods and some Trader Joe’s and I’ve even seen it at the local grocery after I pestered them about carrying it. The recipe calls for a sprinkling of cilantro, but I usually serve the cheese over a salad of equal parts arugula and cilantro.

Bon appetit, mes amis! – Maggie

U-PICK ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES
And finally, don’t miss out on Golden Earthworm’s pick your own strawberries! It’s likely only going to last one more weekend—this coming Friday, June 21st (10am to 6pm), and Saturday, June 22nd (9am to 5pm). PYO strawberries are $4.00 a qt for CSA members.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS + READ MAGGIE’S FARM BLOG

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Escarole and White Bean Salad with Fennel and Gruyere
Escarole and Pine Nuts
Kohlrabi Salad
Halloumi Cheese with Cilantro, Lime and Caper Vinaigrette

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #1

GEOF-salad-turnips-lettuce-mix
Image via Golden Earthworm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Lettuce Mix – 1 bag (unwashed)
Salad Turnips – 1 bunch
Bok Choi – several pieces
Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Arugula – 1 bunch
Red Kale – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
For those already signed up for a dairy share, Pick up your dairy share!

Everyone else, LAST CHANCE to sign up for a dairy share! Read more…

Categories
*In the box Lewis Waite Farms

In the Box: Summer, “Pre-week”

Radishes! image via Golden Earthworm Organic Farm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Lettuce Mix – 1 bag
Spinach – 1 bag
Mustard Mix – 1 bunch
Radishes – 1 bunch
Collards – 1 bunch
Chive Blossoms – 1 bunch
Oregano – 1 bunch
Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
-For those already signed up for a dairy share, pick up your dairy share!
-Everyone else, sample fresh local milk & yogurt products! Maybe even sign up for a dairy share… details below.

Welcome to Summer 2013!

Thanks for joining us! Great news abounds at the beginning of the season, so make sure to sign up for the Sunnyside CSA Yahoo Group—you’ll get only important info, never spam. Our website can answer lots of questions, especially the CSA Details and Volunteer sections. You can also Contact Us with questions, comments or suggestions!

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Winter, Week #5

WS-blueberries
Frozen blueberries! Image via Winter Sun Farms

*Last winter share delivery*

Golden Earthworm Share*
Yellow Potatoes – 8 lbs.
Rutabaga – 3.25 lbs.
Watermelon Radish – 3.5 lbs.
Beets – 3.5 lbs.
Carrots – 8 lbs.
Belgian Endive – 2 pieces
Red or Toscano Kale – 1/2 lb. Bag
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Winter Sun Share
Sweet Corn (16 oz.)
Green Beans (12 oz.)
Broccoli (12 oz.)
Diced Peppers (12 oz.)
Blueberries (8 oz.)
Tomato Puree (in a 24 oz. jar)
FRESH Pea Shoots

Golden Earthworm Cider Share

Golden Earthworm Apple Share

A few friendly reminders & updates:

Welcome New CSA Members!
Thanks for joining us! We hope you will take the time to engage with our various offerings—like CSA Extras from Lewis Waite Farms, and later in the season, Dairy Shares and the U-Pick Strawberries trip to the farm! Please take a look at our website, especially the CSA Details and Volunteer sections. Contact Us anytime with questions, comments or suggestions! Also, be sure to join our Yahoo group because this is how we send important info and updates!

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Place your next Lewis Waite order by April 4th for delivery on Tuesday, April 9th. NOTE: The winter Lewis Waite deliveries occur on Tuesdays (not Thursdays!) at our usual pick up location (Sunnyside Community Services). Place your order now!

Want to Join the CSA Core Group?!
Sunnyside CSA Core Group needs a Site Coordinator ~ Want to get more involved with your CSA? This is a great (volunteer) opportunity! This is a time-consuming role, that’s why it comes with HALF a CSA share FREE! Read more…

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Winter, Week #4

Golden Earthworm Share*
Yellow Potatoes – 6 lbs.
Rutabaga – 1 lb.
Watermelon Radish – 1 lb.
Beets – 1-2 lbs.
Carrots – 5 lbs.
Sweet Potatoes – 5 lbs.
May also include Belgian Endive
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Winter Sun Share
Sweet Corn (16 oz.)
Green Beans (12 oz.)
Butternut Squash Puree (16 oz.)
Cauliflower or Kale (12 oz.)
Blueberries (8 oz.)
Tomato Puree (in a 24 oz. jar)
FRESH Pea Shoots

Golden Earthworm Cider Share

Golden Earthworm Apple Share

A few friendly reminders & updates:

2013 Season Sign Ups
Returning members, if you couldn’t make it to our Town Hall and Returning Member sign ups last week, don’t worry! You can sign up during Open Sign Ups on February 21st from 6-8pm at SCS. Please Contact Us if you have questions.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Winter, Week #3

Belgian Endive
Belgian Endive. Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Share*
Yellow Potatoes – 5 lbs.
Parsnips – 1 lb.
Rutabaga – 1 lb.
Watermelon Radish – 1 lb.
Beets – 2 lbs.
Kohlrabi – 2 lbs.
Carrots – 5 lbs.
Sweet Potatoes – 5 lbs.
Green Cabbage – 2 heads
May also include Belgian Endive
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Winter Sun Share
Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Butternut Squash Puree
Cauliflower/Kale
Blueberries
Tomato Puree (24 oz. jar)
FRESH Pea shoots

Golden Earthworm Cider Share

Golden Earthworm Apple Share

A few friendly reminders & updates:

2013 Season Sign Ups
Returning members, if you couldn’t make it to our Town Hall and Returning Member sign ups last week, don’t worry! You can sign up during Open Sign Ups on February 21st from 6-8pm at SCS. Please Contact Us if you have questions.

Read about the Share Options
Download and print the Membership Contract: Sunnyside CSA 2013 Contract

New members are invited to attend Open Sign Ups on February 21st from 6-8pm at our regular CSA pick up spot, Sunnyside Community Services. Please read about the Share Options, then Download the Contract, and bring it, along with your check made out to Sunnyside CSA, to the sign up. Be sure to join our Yahoo group because this is how we send important info and updates!

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Winter, Week #2

Golden Earthworm Share*
Yellow Potatoes – 4 lb.
Parsnips – 1 lb.
Rutabaga – 1.5 lb.
Watermelon Radish – 1.5 lb.
Red Beets – 2 lb.
Carrots – 5 lb.
Sweet Potatoes – 5 lb.
Savoy Cabbage – 1 head
Green Cabbage – 1 head
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Winter Sun Share
Broccoli
Edamame
Green beans
Butternut squash puree
Tomato puree
Blueberries
FRESH Pea shoots

Golden Earthworm Cider Share

Golden Earthworm Apple Share